RED BLUFF — Old school technology can be brought back to life at the Red Bluff branch of the Tehama County Library thanks to a grant from the state librarian.

The news that the $10,500 grant had been awarded for the Retro Technology Lab equipment came back in December, but it took some time to get new equipment that will allow the library to digitize a number of obsolete media, said Librarian Todd Deck, including photo prints, slides, VHS tapes and 8 mm and Super 8 film.

Library Clerk Eddie Proctor cues up an 8mm film to be digitized at the Tehama County Library thanks to a grant from the state librarian.(Julie Zeeb — Daily News)

The money is from a grant called the Replicator Program, which had a list of projects from other libraries in California that could be replicated.

“They were all great programs, but during that time, from August to December, we were working with people from the Carr and Camp fires and there was a common theme,” Deck said. “The one thing we kept hearing was I wish I could have retrieved my family photos and family memories. So we put together a proposal that was not on any of the criteria. The week of Christmas we got a call from the state librarian in which he said happy new year, your grant has been approved.”

Deck said he and Library Clerk Eddie Proctor, a Red Bluff High School graduate, immediately set to work figuring out what equipment suited Tehama County best and where to get it. The fruits of their labors should be available to the public starting July 15 when the first Retro Tech Lab hours will be available.

“He has been with the library since he was a volunteer in high school,” Deck said of Proctor. “This project will be a great fit with his interests and school background. A great deal of thanks goes to California State Librarian Greg Lucas for funding this grant and allowing the library to provide this valuable service to the people of Tehama County.”

The library was already working to digitize some of the photos on site and hopes to have a projector set up in the teen center displaying the historical images.

Patrons of the library will be able to use the lab equipment, which will be available two times a week for 2- to four-hour blocks of time, first come, first served, Deck said.

Librarian Todd Deck, left, and Library Clerk Eddie Proctor, right, show off some of the photos the Tehama County Library had that it was able to digitize thanks to a grant from the state librarian. (Julie Zeeb — Daily News)

Through August, hours are 2-6 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Those interested can just show up or sign up for a session on the Retro Technology page at http://www.tehamacountylibrary.org/retro-technology-lab/. Hours will be reassessed after summer.

“Our hope is that we can help people preserve their own history for future generations and of course be a tool for people to be better prepared for disasters,” Deck said. “Having a digital record is a small but important process in helping people be prepared. It’s exciting because this is a great way to demonstrate local history. Now we can not only have the opportunity to look through them by digitizing, but we can know we’ve responsibly archived them. Also, people can send them to relatives or make digital copies of their Social Security card, drivers license or other important paperwork and upload it to a drop box.”

One patron brought in an 8mm film taken of a road trip to Yellowstone in the 1970s. The person’s children and grandchildren had probably heard about the trip their entire life, but now they have the ability to see it for themselves, Deck said.

Photos as big as 11 x 22 inches can be brought in.

“Tehama County has a very rich and interesting history and a very rich and interesting people,” Deck said. “Now people can take their shoe box full of memories to digital format and send them to family in Nebraska. The sharing and preserving of personal history is another example of the library being utilized in a different way. People come here to the library for a sense of community.”

Tehama County Library was the only Northern California location to get a replicator grant.

Deck said even those who resist new technology will be drawn to the Retro Technology equipment.

Julie Zeeb is a North State native and covers the county and education beats for the Red Bluff Daily News. She has been with the Daily News since she started freelancing for the paper in July 2007 and lived in Tehama County since 2009.